Dance into the Fire
by Dark Empress V
Summary: CH 2 UP!!! A different ending to Goldeneye is the beginning of a new story.... Alec Trevelyan survives and he and Bond have to face some new challenges of the future. But first of all, they have to face each other. *NO SLASH* M/F romance.
1. Gut Feelings and Difficult Questions

Summary: A different ending to Goldeneye is the beginning of a new story.... Alec Trevelyan survives and he and Bond have to face some new challenges of the future. But first of all, they have to face each other. *NO SLASH* M/F romance.  
  
Author's Note: First and foremost, it's NOT slash! Hey everyone, I hope you'll enjoy this story.. Although I am writing this, my friend Chrisi should get credit for many wonderful ideas and for the inspiration she gives me. Without her support, this story wouldn't exist! You should also know, that in our opinion, the actor who should play James Bond is James Purefoy, and we imagine him as 007... You are of course free to imagine whoever you want, whether it's Pierce, Roger, Sean or any other actor on Earth you'd love to see as Bond. Just don't flame us for our fantasies :):) I would also like to point out that it's my first attempt at a long, chaptered story, so please be gentle... I am not a native English speaker, so there may be some grammar or spelling mistakes, but I'm trying as best I can to avoid them. I also am totally crazy about Sean Bean and all his characters so I'd be delighted if his other fans e-mailed me. Oh, and I'm absolutely addicted to reviews so be sure to drop a few lines after reading. :):) Ok, enough of my ramblings, here it goes...  
  
DANCE INTO THE FIRE  
  
Chapter one : Gut -feelings and difficult questions  
  
  
  
"You know, James. I was always better"  
  
007 managed to kick the lever just seconds before Alec Trevelyan fired at him. The ladder he was clinging to dropped down into the blazing sunlight, very high above the dish. Bond groaned in pain as the ladder finally jerked to a stop, desperately trying not to let it go.  
  
Trevelyan looked down after him, cursing under his breath as he saw 007 still hanging from the ladder. The damn bastard just wouldn't die. He aimed his gun at Bond again and tried to fire, but it turned out that he had run out of bullets. He threw the gun away and took out the radio.  
  
"Alpha one to Gunship!"  
  
No answer. Splendid. Just splendid.  
  
He looked back to the electricity room and saw that the whole mechanism was burning and exploding. Before long the whole place would be nothing more than a hell of fire.  
  
He begun climbing down the ladder. He looked down again and saw that 007 was doing the same, just in the opposite direction. The man sure wasn't about to give up, Alec thought. What else could you expect from James Bond, after all - he smirked at the thought.  
  
Just for a split second his mind wandered back to all that they have been through together when he was still 006.  
  
When they were friends. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered the numerous times they found themselves in situations anyone else would call impossible to survive, and somehow always managed to come out of them unscathed. They were so very much alike - always refusing to give up and stubborn like hell. Every time they happened to set out on a mission together, people in IMF joked about pitying their opponents. They used to be two most lethal weapons in Her Majesty's Secret Service. Now they were two enemies and both new that one of them would have to die. Alas. Unless, of course, some miracle happened.  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the air and a helicopter appeared a little bit above them, , the proppeller creating a powerful wind.. It lowered to the ladder and they both looked up.  
  
Alec muttered "It's about time" and begun climbing back up, but froze when he saw the pilot. In the cockpit of his very own helicopter, grinning, sat no one else but Natalya.  
  
Blast it.  
  
He made the decision within seconds. There's no way in hell he was giong to let Bond get to that chopper. He quickly slid down the ladder and hit 007 with his feet. James slipped a few inches, but managed to grab the ladder again and pulled himself back up. He kicked Alec hard in his stomach, but Trevelyan didn't let go of the ladder.  
  
They heard a huge explosion in the electricity room above them, which almost threw them both off the ladder. The satellite was practically destroyed, it would be history within minutes, James thought. So his mission was complete.All he had to do now was stay alive, which meant getting to the damn helicopter.  
  
Now.  
  
Suddenly he received a powerful blow on the head, followed by a kick, which send him reeling down the ladder. He managed to hold on to the last rug with one arm. He tried to pull himself up, but only managed to grab the rug with his second hand. He was really exausted and new he wouldn't manage to hold on much longer. Alec slid down after him and was about to stomp on his arm when they heard another noise in the air and second helicopter flew into view with terrible speed, almost crashing with Natalya's. It made a turn around the tower and finally stopped in the air right above them, still dangerously close to the other machine. When Trevelyan saw the pilot, his jaw dropped in amazement, but he still held his foot on Bond's arm.And tried to make his sigh of relief inaudible.  
  
A dark- haired woman in the cockpit lowered the helicopter so that it floated right next to Trevelyan.  
  
"Alec, jump in, I can't hold it in this position for long" - she threw Trevelyan only a glance, her eyes fixed on Natalya's machine, which was now even closer.  
  
"With pleasure, I will just take care of one more little thing" - he looked down to Bond.  
  
"You don't have to kill him, Alec. You know that." - she looked at him seriously, and as he looked back at her, he understood what she meant.  
  
"Stay out of this. That conversation we had yesterday hadn't changed a thing" -  
  
He spoke angrily, but inside he wasn't so self-confident. He and 007 were mortal enemies now, but he could never wipe out the past. He could never wipe out the fact that James used to be his best friend. Although Alec had plotted betrayal from the very beginning and always told himself he wasn't attached to anyone at the MI6, that he hated all Englishmen, the reality was, all that he and 007 had been through together created a special bond between them, quite against his will. He had even considered the possibility of dragging James over to his side, but when he saw how devoted Bond was to his country, he realized it would be impossible.  
  
When the opportunity came nine years ago to unsuspiciously leave MI6 and occupy himself with creating the Janus Syndicate, the only thing that made him hesitate, was his friendship with James. Sometimes he wished to just throw it all to hell and stay, but finally, the will of revenge proved to be stronger. He remembered the despair of his parents when they realised they had been betrayed by the Englishmen, he remembered how he had watched his father kill his mother and then himself before his very eyes. Yes, he had seen it all and he would see it till the end of his days in his nightmares. He had vowed to himself that the Englishmen were going to pay. That he would make them pay.  
  
Throughout those nine years he used to say to himself that he hated Bond. That he was one of the damn Englishmen and he hated him. At times he did, mostly for the fact that 007 was so damn faithful to his country, so faithful that he would have abandoned his friend. Alec was sure that if he had told James about his plans, 007 would have tried and prevented him from ever setting them into action. Oh, he was so angry at him for that. But deep down inside, he had never hated him the way you should hate your enemies. The moment they met again nine years later on that soviet dumping ground and James found out about his betrayal was more painful to him than he would ever admit to himself. Now. Now everything was over, his plans and his revenge all lay in ruins. Because of Bond. And with all the anger he felt, he still couldn't hate him. As simple and ridiculous as that. He couldn't.  
  
* * *  
  
Another explosion came from the electricity room, this time much stronger. The dark haired woman lost control of her machine for a few moments and it almost crashed with Natalya's. Natalya reacted quickly and jerked her helicopter to the left, a little too far. It brushed against the tower, hard enough to make all the control pannels go crazy.  
  
"Crap"- she tried to regain the control over the machine, but the damage was too big. She couldn't keep it in the same position anymore and flying in the direction she wanted was almost impossible. The chopper was turning around and moving away from the tower and the satellite. She struggled with the lever, trying to go back, but nothing she did worked. She was flying away and losing height very fast. There was no way of going back. The only thing she could do now, was to try and land without crashing on the field, which now spread right below her. James was on his own. She cursed again under her breath, looked around at the now distant figure of the exploding satellite and begun the struggle to put the damn machine on the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
The explosions made thousands of bells start ringing in their ears, but both men still managed not to fall from the ladder. Not that it was any consolation, James thought half-consciously. Soon they would be plummetting down on that plate with the ladder. He could only watch as Natalya's machine twirled away and disappeared in the distance. So that would be pretty much it. His last hope of escape was now probably hitting the ground and exploding. Bond had cheated death too many times to be afraid of it, so all he felt now was calmness. He could find none of his stubbornness or will to survive. He was.tired, so tired.Last explosion almost made him lose consciousness and he couldn't control the dizziness. He practically stopped feeling his left arm, and was surprised that he was actually still clinging to the rug. Not for long, Alec would surely soon take care of that. Why was it taking him so long, by the way?  
  
Alec clinged to the rug tightly as the blast from the explosion forced almost all air out of his lungs. When the black and white spots finally stopped dancing before his eyes, he noticed the crash of the two helicopters. As one of them rapidly twirled away, the other machine also struggled for balance, but the pilot finally managed to regain control over it. It again lowered to float near Trevelyan.  
  
"Alec, you have to jump,NOW!" -the woman's voice sounded desperate.  
  
This time Trevelyan didn't hesitate. He lunged forward and landed on the floor at the back of the helicopter. The machine was now even closer to the ladder and he almost fell out through the other side. He crawled to the entrance, stood up and looked at the figure still clinging to the ladder. The chopper was still floating next to it, for some reason. Bond turned his head and their eyes met for a split second. Alec saw nothing in them, but calm acceptance.  
  
He had tried to kill Bond so many times and 007 stubbornly survived his every attempt. When he came to think of it now, Alec had to admit that he had been actually enjoying himself. He prepared ways of dying for James, subconsciously wondering, how Bond would get out of it. And when he did, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of amiration. He would almost feel disappointed if James had failed. As if a part of him never really wanted 007 dead. Now, as he watched Bond hanging from that rung and the realisation came to him, that this time he wouldn't get out of it, his inside battle grew stronger:  
  
"He is my enemy, nothing more but a damn Englishman, one of those who betrayed my parents!!"  
  
"He didn't betray them, he was a child back then, just like you were"  
  
"But he is exactly like those who betrayed them - he would do it, he would destroy anyone just to 'serve the queen', even his closest friends"  
  
"Yes, you were friends, doesn't any of this matter to you anymore?"  
  
"It didn't matter to him, why should it matter to me? I don't care!!!"  
  
"Really? Then just let him die"  
  
~*~*~(Flashback)  
  
Snow was everywhere. It twirled around him in some sort of mad dance, pushed by the angry gusts of wind. Maybe on some other occasion he would be able to appreciate its dangerous beauty, but when you are on a slippery rock, thousands of feet from the ground in the middle of a snowstorm, you're not really in the mood to admire the wonders of nature. Especially if they want to kill you. Alec squinted his eyes at the blinding whiteness, trying to make out the figure above him. To no avail. Only the ragged breathing and scratching of boots against the rock assured him, that there was another person with him.  
  
"How far to the top, James?"  
  
"I can't see anything, but I guess we shouldn't be very far away"  
  
"You better be right, or the chopper will fly away without us"  
  
Another 10 minutes of climbing, that seemed like ten hours. Mission complete. All you have to do now is stay alive and get to the chopper. Piece of cake, he spatted in his thoughts sarsastically, as the sharp rock cut into his hand.  
  
"Alec, I think we're here"  
  
He heard as the man before him pulled himself up onto the flat ground at the top of the mountain.  
  
Almost there. His hand grabbed the edge of the rock. One miscalculated step. He slipped.  
  
"Alec!!!!"  
  
He desperately grabbed onto the sharp rock, unable to find some support for his legs.  
  
The ice covering the wall was so mercilessly smooth.  
  
The panic, mixed with a perverse will to let go. No, it can't end like this.  
  
A hand, firmly grabbing his in an iron grip.  
  
"I got you, Alec. I won't let go"  
  
Bond.  
  
Finally, flat on his back in the snow, breathing heavily with exortion and relief.  
  
The sound of the chopper landing next to them, seemed to be so distant...  
  
~*~*~(End of flashback)  
  
~The sound of the chopper ~..  
  
"Damn it all to hell!" - Alec cursed and went out on the skid.  
  
~No, it can't end like this~  
  
Holding the door , he grabbed 007's arm with his free hand and pulled him up.  
  
~I got you. I won't let go~  
  
He saw Bond was dizzy and half-conscious, but he still managed to grab on the skid. With Trevelyan's help, he pulled himself inside.  
  
The machine took off immediately. Alec still stood in the entrance and looked down on the satellite. He saw the tower with their ladder go down and after a few seconds the whole plate exploded. Although the chopper was already very high, Trevelyan could feel the blast of hot air on his face. A huge sphere of fire swallowed the satellite.  
  
The satellite??? A bitter chuckle escaped Alec's mouth.  
  
His dreams, his plans, his revenge were now nothing but a sphere of fire.  
  
Fire.  
  
He subconsciously touched the burn-scar on his face, trying not to think that he had just saved the life of a man who was responsible for destroying his future. Another bitter laugh.  
  
Alec shut the doors on the both sides of the chopper and looked at Bond. 007 was still lying on the floor, trying to recover from the dizziness and start to see something except colorful spots dancing in all directions before his eyes.  
  
For a few moments Trevelyan just stood there, staring numbly at the immobile man on the floor, wondering what he should do next. Finally, he decided to leave James alone for now. He knew very well that the confrontation would be inevitable, but he eagerly put it off for later. Besides, he had to clear some other things out first.  
  
When he entered the cockpit, the dark- haired girl turned her head and smiled at him. He couldn't help but return the smile, although it was quickly gone from his face. He sat in the second pilot's chair and looked at her.  
  
"Not that I wasn't thrilled to see you, but may I ask how you got here? You were supposed to wait in the truck outside the plate site, where I left you"  
  
She didn't look at him, keeping her eyes fixed on the fields below them, and answered calmly, seemingly unmoved by the hidden disapproval in his voice.  
  
"After Sergei flew away to pick you up, I had a really strong gut feeling that something was wrong, so I tried to contact him, but the Gunship radio didn't respond. I took the other chopper and here I was."  
  
Silence reined for a moment.She didn't want to sound angry and it was exactly how she was beginning to feel. She had just saved his life and all he could do was criticize her for it. But then again, what else might she expect from Alec Trevelyan? He hated being disobeyed by anyone, especially by his 'employees'.And that's exactly what she was to him - just another well- trained professional hired to help him get what he wanted. His right hand, perhaps, but a hireling all the same. Nothing more.  
  
Nothing more. While for her he was.. No. She wasn't going to think about it now. It was neither time nor place.  
  
Shaking off the overcoming sadness, she continued, smiling again:  
  
"Don't worry about the truck, it's safe. Besides, you wanted your right hand to leave you alone in trouble?"  
  
He was silent for a long beat. She was just about to say something more, but he cut her off:  
  
"Violet.Do me a favour" - he looked at her seriously for a moment and then a faint smile danced on his lips "and keep trusting your gut-feelings"- he finished and she knew this was probably the closest he would ever get to a 'thank you' .  
  
He leaned back in his chair and run his hand through his hair. Only now did he realize, how exhausted he was. He hadn't yet taken it everything that had happened. Especially one particular thing, but he wasn't ready to think about it now. Would he ever be? He had to, and pretty soon. The day was very far from over. He didn' have to wait long to be reminded about it.  
  
"What about him?" - asked Violet, indicating the back of the chopper with her chin.  
  
Alec sighed and rubbed his temples.  
  
"That's a very good question" he answered after a beat.  
  
* * *  
  
It took him quite a while to understand what actually happened.  
  
Understand?  
  
No, he could never understand it. For now he could only accept it as a fact.  
  
He was sure he was going to die there. After he saw Natalya's chopper get hit and disappear somewhere in the distance, he knew there was no other way to escape. He could only wait for Trevelyan to stomp harder on his arm and prepare to fall a long way down to the plate. 'James Bond never gives up' whispered his inner voice, so he forced his mind to search for some way to get out of this mess. He came up with nothing and was too exhausted to keep thinking straight. He kept himself conscious only with the strength of his will. If it weren't for his famous will to survive he would have already let go of that rug. His vision was blurred and everything looked like a dream. He felt detached, as if he was watching it all from afar.  
  
When you are a secret agent, death is your constant companion. James often felt its breath on his neck, even its icy-cold touch, but always somehow managed to get away at the very last moment. Why was this time to be any different? And yet it was. It was different in many more ways than one. He had never gotten this close, and even if he had, he hadn't had the time to realize it. Now it came upon him with its full strength.  
  
They say that when you are about to die, your whole life flashes in front of your eyes. James saw only selected images - faces.. of women, of people from MI6, of his enemies; pictures of fight, short moments of rest.  
  
Questions.. Questions that started flooding into his mind, one after the other. Those he had always pushed away to the deepest corners of his mind, those he always left unanswered.  
  
What is the meaning of your life? The service to the queen, to England? Nothing more? There should be something more, shouldn't it?  
  
Which one of your dreams has come true? Any of them? Dreams? Spies don't have time for dreams. They have to make sure other people's dreams will have a chance to come true.  
  
Have you been happy? James realized he didn't really know what true happiness was. Moments of joy after another end of the world was done away with, moments of ecstasy with his numerous lovers..Happiness?  
  
Will anyone cry after you? Moneypenny, Q, other people from the MI6? "A small memorial service, with only Moneypenny and a few tearful restitures in attendance"- he remembered Alec's mocking words on the train a few hours ago.Was it true, then? Was he to become another annonymus star on the memorial wall at MI6? He had no family, no woman ever got close enough to mean something more to him. And those who did, all ended up dead. The last person he could call his friend was. Alec, nine years ago. Never make it personal, as M said.  
  
His mind wandered back to the conversation he had with Natalya on the beach: " How can you act like this? How can you be so cold? "It's what keeps me alive" "No, it's what keeps you alone"  
  
MI6 and emptiness - these were probably the two words that would best describe his life. That's why he could accept death with such calmness - because there was nothing, no one keeping him there. For the first time in his life, James Bond felt regret at the thought of dying.  
  
And in the same moment, something tore him out from this half-conscious, but heart-wrenching soul-searching.  
  
A hand.  
  
A hand that pulled him up and then helped him crawl into the helicopter.  
  
Alec.  
  
Impossible. I m p o s s i b l e.  
  
When the dizzines and colors flying before his eyes started to weaken, James was almost convinced it must have all been a dream. Definietly a dream. Too unbelievable to be true. Alec Trevelyan saving his life. Seconds before they'd tried to kill each other. No way. Fertile imagination, James, really.  
  
Slowly, he pulled himself up and sat with his back against the metal wall, rubbing his left arm. His head hurt wildly, as if a thousand hammers were beating out a rythm inside it. He breathed deeply and opened his eyes. His vision was almost normal. He pressed his head against the wall, welcoming the soothing coldness of the metal. A couple more deep breaths.  
  
Allright, time to analyse the situation. To do it, he had to reluctantly admit that it hadn't been all a dream. Every single thing that happened was hundred percent real, no matter how confused it made him.  
  
The inevitable question popped up.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Why would Trevelyan want to keep him alive? As a hostage, perhaps? Then why wasn't he tied up? Alec certainly knew him well enough to know that you just don't leave James Bond untied and unguarded, even if he is unconscious. So hostage was out of question. What then? There must have been an agenda. James thought half-heartedly he could go to the cockpit and attack Trevelyan and his pilot, but he had no intention of doing it. He knew there was no immediate threat to his life; at least not yet. Another reason was the sheer curiosity of what would happen next. Oh, and he hadn't tried standing up yet. Judging from the state he was in, it was going to be a veery.. .dizzy experience.  
  
All he could do for now, was wait.  
  
* * *  
  
In the cockpit, Alec Trevelyan was also asking himself questions, and was no better than Bond in finding answers. He was torn from his thoughts by the sight of a helicopter standing on the field below them. Black smoke was coming from it's engine, but it wasn't crashed. Next to it, shileding her eyes from the sun with her hand, Natalya Fiediorovna Siemionova looked up at the approaching machine.  
  
"Land here." Alec ordered  
  
Violet made a wide circle around the field and, manouvering to land as far as possible from the smoking helicopter, finally sat the machine on the ground. As the propellers slowed down and stopped, dead silence reined. It seemed almost unnatural after all the explosions and noise that accompanied them lately. None of them seemed willing to break it. Alec closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The thing he would do gladly at this very moment was to fall asleep and forget about everything. And wake up somewhere very far away. The silence wouldn't last long, he knew that. It was like the stillnes of nature before storm.  
  
Finally Violet asked this inevitable question of the day, which he was subconsciously awaiting,  
  
"What are you going to do now?"  
  
T o b e c o n t i n u e d . . . 


	2. The Wonderful Art of Diplomacy

Disclamer (forgot to put it in the last chapter) I don't own anything from the Goldeneye universe, although I wouldn't mind having Alec all to myself! :P Author's note: Hello everybody! At long last the next chapter! Sorry for the delay, but I've really had a tough time writing this! Blame too much work at the university and a hideous writer's block. Thank you so much to all that have reviewed, it means everything to me! As to the flames - I am PERFECTLY aware that Alec died at the end of Goldeneye and this is EXACTLY why I write this story - because I hated the fact that he died. I'm afraid you missed the point of this fic, Babel. Now - the grammar and spelling mistakes - I'm sorry if I make them, but English is not my native language and I don't have a native beta-reader, so I just have to rely on my own abilities. Is there really so many mistakes?? Ok, enough of my ramblings. Now you'll find out what is Alec "going to do now", Mooncat( And I hope this anonymous reviewer who threatened she'd die if I don't continue is still alive and able to read the chapter! Check out the little author's note in the end, I couldn't put it here 'cause it would be a spoiler. I dedicate this chapter to the magnificent Sean Bean and my two friends, Chrisi and Janina who were in London and saw him perform as Macbeth!  
  
PLEASE, PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW!!! I FEED ON THEM!!  
  
Chapter two: The wonderful art of diplomacy.  
  
He wanted to be somewhere else. In a nuclear factory with an overheated reactor, on a sinking submarine, a plane going through turbulence; hell, anywhere, but away from here.  
  
No such luck. As Alec Trevelyan reopened his eyes, he was still sitting in the chopper with Violett next to him and the question she had asked was still hanging above him, like a giant piece of rock about to fall. One thing was sure. Staying in the machine and staring off into space wasn't going to make the mess they were in go away.  
  
What was he going to do, then? Go hug Natalya, shake hands with Bond, and then maybe the four of them could drop by for dinner at Fidel's mansion to use their stay in Cuba to the full? As appealing as the option seemed, he didn't think the others would share his point of view. He chuckled quietly and was awarded by Violett's astonished stare.  
  
"What is so funny?"  
  
"Oh, I've just been considering our options ."- he answered, grinning.  
  
"You must have come up with some genius plan, if you're so happy." - she looked at him half- hopefully, half skeptically.  
  
"I'm afraid not, unless you have a party dress somewhere in your sack"  
  
Her eyes grew wide and she started to wonder, if he maybe had a fever, or had hit his head and it was affecting his sanity now.  
  
"Uhm. What do you mean?"  
  
His smile faded suddenly and changed into an angry expression, as he spotted something over her shoulder. She looked around and saw Natalya running in the direction of the chopper with a machine gun. In the same moment, they heard a noise at the back of the helicopter, obviously the door opening.  
  
"Never mind" - Alec answered, getting up. He looked out to the back of the chopper, all the while realizing the needlessness of such action.  
  
It was empty. Bond was already running to meet up with Natalya. Trevelyan returned to the cockpit.  
  
"I suppose we will have to shoot our way out of this one" - he said, passing a gun to Violett and taking his.  
  
She grabbed his arm.  
  
"Alec, wait"  
  
He turned around and looked at her expectantly. She took a deep breath, as if making an important decision. Now or never.  
  
"I. think I have an idea"  
  
"I'm listening"  
  
"There's no time to explain it now. Just stay here let me go talk to them alone"  
  
Trevelyan looked at her disbelievingly and somewhat suspiciously.  
  
"Talk to them?! Are you out of your mind?! They're going to start shooting the moment you stick your head out of the machine." He reloaded his gun and was beginning to position himself for shot next to the door.  
  
"No, they won't if I shout I want to talk. At least let me try. " He was eyeing her even more suspiciously.  
  
She grabbed both of his arms and looked him straight in the eyes. "Alec. Please, trust me. What do we have to lose?"  
  
What, indeed? They were running out of options. If they began shooting, they risked disabling their machine and that meant being left at the mercy of Cuban authorities or the back-up forces Alec was sure would soon arrive to Bond's aid. Besides, he knew his right hand could come up with a brilliant plan in a critical situation. She managed to prove as much throughout the time she had worked for him. He sighed. "Alright. This plan of yours better be good. Go."  
  
Violett uncocked her gun, cast him what was probably supposed to be a reassuring glance, and was gone.  
  
Alec sat down next to the door and leaned his head on the metal wall. What in the world was he doing? He just let the last of his living employees, his right hand, go negotiate with his greatest enemy.  
  
Negotiate about what? What could they possibly have to offer in exchange for their lives? He felt like slamming himself on the face for his stupidity. He shouldn't have agreed. He should have shoved her back into the cockpit and fly the hell away from here. Natalya and Bond would probably have shot them down before the machine as much as lifted a meter above the ground, but it somehow seemed wiser than sitting down here, waiting for devil knows what. Why did he tell her to land here in the first place? His own actions were a mystery to him. If there was a contest for The Greatest Idiot of the Whole Universe, Alec thought, after today, he'd be its unbeatable champion. First, he saved Bond's life, now he laid his fate in a woman's hands.  
  
What if Violett was a traitor? What if she was an undercover MI6 agent, assigned to infiltrate the Janus Syndicate, gain the trust of it's boss and destroy him? It would be so like the English way of settling things. Well, he had checked her background very carefully before letting her into the organization. She was perfectly free of any connections to England or America. A Polish computer genius with every reason to hate the Soviets, like he did. According to his sources, they had murdered her grandfather and imprisoned her father when she was little. He couldn't help thinking she would have fixed the satellite ten times sooner than Boris after Natalya had changed the codes. Only instead of taking her with him, he had left her in the truck outside the satellite site to coordinate their escape after their task was accomplished. It proved another wise decision to earn him the title of the Moron of the Year. Well, on the other hand, if she hadn't been on that truck there would be no one to have a "gut feeling" and go to his rescue and he'd be an Alec-pie under the rubble left from the satellite.  
  
No, Violett couldn't be a traitor. She had had millions of occasions to betray him after he made her his right hand and let in on most of the Syndicate's secrets. She knew enough to destroy him and hadn't done it, then why would she do it now? He simply couldn't believe it. Well, his belief wouldn't change a thing if she came back and just put a gun to his head. Bond could offer her freedom in exchange for turning him in. Why shouldn't she accept it? Alec Trevelyan was finished and she, with her abilities, could find another job in a day. Why would she doom herself with him? Loyalty? Alec almost chuckled. Did such a thing even exist? The word seemed archaic. A thought flashed through his mind, that the last time he heard it was from Bond's mouth. Hell, he was in really big trouble if he started betting his fate on other people's loyalty to him.  
  
Now there was nothing left to do, but wait.  
  
* * * *  
  
All the horoscopes say that Libras are talented diplomats. 'It better be damn true, if I am to pull this thing off ' -Violett thought to herself, as she jumped out of the helicopter with gun pointing at the pair standing in some distance before her. Natalya's gun was now in Bond's hands, pointing at Violett's middle.  
  
"Don't shoot, I want to talk!" - she shouted.  
  
Bond didn't move or say anything, but the bullets hadn't ripped her chest as yet, so it was a sign he heard her and was at least partly inclined to listen. She went on towards him until they were a few steps away from each other. She was unnoticeably breathing deeply the whole time, trying to calm her racing heart and clear the war of thoughts that raged in her head. She was going to need loads of diplomatic talent and even more luck to go through with her plan.  
  
She knew it was insane. Worse even, it was practically impossible. And exactly because of that it might work. One way or the other, it was the only chance to get Alec out of this mess, even if she had to do it against him. But first she had to deal with Bond.  
  
007 looked at her with his famous poker expression.  
  
"You said you wanted to talk. I'm listening."  
  
'Ok, here it goes. ' Calling all the confidence she had and pushing it into her voice, she said,  
  
"I have an offer you should be interested in, Mr. Bond."  
  
007 raised one eyebrow and looked at the girl before him half skeptically - half intrigued.  
  
"I've heard that sentence many times before. Those that said it usually ended up dead. What could you and your boss possibly have to offer me?"  
  
Violett didn't flinch at the obvious threat. She returned his casual smile:  
  
"Something that is most precious in today's world - information. All that the Janus Syndicate has gathered about the Russian secret service and terrorist organizations around the world. Names, connections, account numbers, planned transactions and operations, headquarters localization.Should I continue?"  
  
The skepticism disappeared from Bond's face. He smiled a little wider, although the smile didn't reach his eyes. They were cold and calculating.  
  
"No need to. I think I can fully appreciate the value of your offer and I must admit it is a great price to buy two lives for."  
  
"It's not life I want to buy."  
  
Bond could barely suppress the surprised expression that started to form itself on his face.  
  
"What, then?"  
  
"I don't think the word 'buy' is accurate in this case at all, Mr. Bond. It is more like a bonus to what I already offered you."- she hesitated for a beat, then added,  
  
"A return of one long lost MI6 agent and a qualified new one."  
  
As the meaning of her words sank in, Bond's carefully built - up casual façade crashed into pieces and his mouth dropped open. He just stared at her.  
  
Violett expected no other reaction. That was probably how she herself looked when the idea first came to her head. Now he should just burst out laughing into her face and she could call herself a psychic.  
  
But was the idea really so stupid? Provided Bond let them go, if she had asked him to let them fly away, provided they miraculously got through the Cuban militia and Bond's backup, what would they do? Bond and MI6 would never stop hunting for them, not to count CIA, FBI and other government and terrorist organizations, which would find it delightful to see the head of the Janus Syndicate dead.  
  
How long could they run? And what guarantee did they have that Bond would let them go, if she asked him to? Why was this option worse than all others? If it worked out, they were winners on every front - no one would find out that Alec Trevelyan was the boss of the Janus Syndicate, he would again be a British agent with a license to kill, and have on his side the people who would otherwise be his enemies. If they ran, it would be them against the whole world. Now THAT was insane. They had nothing to lose.  
  
Well, at least Alec. A thought occurred to her that it should seem strange to her that she always thinks of him and herself together - "we this", "we that". Things would be much easier if she thought only about herself. She was almost 100% sure Bond would let her go if she betrayed Alec. She would find a new job within days - whether it was at a government or terrorist organization or just an ordinary computer company. She would be a perfectly free woman, if only she started to think "I" instead of "we". Only there was no "I" anymore. She had numerously cursed herself when she realized that a couple of months ago, but there was nothing she could do to change it. Alec Trevelyan became the center of her universe even if she meant a zip to him. Had he been in her place right now, she would probably end up with a bullet in her head, she thought bitterly. Well, no matter how stupid and pathetic it was of her, SHE would rather die with him than betray him, so there was no point in thinking about all the "what ifs".  
  
"Am I in any way unclear?" - she asked sweetly, enjoying the thought that she just made the famous James Bond drop his jaw and stand speechless.  
  
He recovered quickly: "Not at all, you are perfectly clear, I just wonder whether you are serious."  
  
"I assure you I am perfectly serious." - she hit the ball back.  
  
" Well, then I'm afraid I will have to doubt in your sanity, Miss."- he looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Call me Miss Insanity, if you will, but I suggest you reconsider my offer. It may bring more profit to you than you think."  
  
She didn't fall for this old trick. She promised herself he would never know her name, unless he accepted the offer.  
  
Bond was clearly getting sick of the game.  
  
"Please, you cannot seriously assume MI6 would take back a traitor and his associate with open arms in exchange for some scraps of information!"  
  
"MI6 doesn't have to know about it. " Violett looked straight in his eyes.  
  
"Oh, that is even better!" Bond snorted, "Now you want me to protect the traitor and become one myself!"  
  
"Not a traitor, but someone that used to be your friend, James. And, from what I have seen several minutes ago, someone that saved your life." -she pulled out the first ace from her sleeve, "And as to the 'scraps of information' - you could take out several major terrorist organizations thanks to them. "  
  
She saw the momentary flinch of pain in Bond's face after her first sentence, but his expression turned back to poker face within seconds.  
  
"Well, well, you know a lot about your boss' past.Did he also mention the way he betrayed me? "  
  
"You perfectly know the reasons of his betrayal." Violett was getting angry. The whole conversation was going the way she feared it would go. She had hoped to remind Bond his friendship with Alec and awaken whatever positive feelings remained in him for Trevelyan, but if she was wrong and there was nothing left but pain and hatred, all was lost. The fact that Alec had repeatedly tried to kill Bond in the past weeks didn't help, either.  
  
"How do I know he won't do it again? Did he suddenly discover in himself forgiveness and love for England?" Bond's tone was dripping with irony.  
  
'Shit, shit, shit!' Could things get any worse? Violett barely stopped herself from slapping Bond on the face out of pure frustration. Fine. It was time to be painfully honest.  
  
"Because he wouldn't have anywhere to go." - miraculously, her voice didn't shake.  
  
The further the conversation went, the more desperate she was to convince Bond. The less likely it seemed he would agree, the more determined she felt. As if something cracked inside her and she did it just to spite God.  
  
Bond looked at her quizzically and left her words without a comment.  
  
"As to the information you claim to possess. Do you think MI6 wouldn't be able to get it out of you both, whether you agreed to convey it or not?"  
  
He really knew how to get on her nerves. In her mind, she called herself the psychic of the year. The list of unwanted questions he could have asked was complete. Pity she couldn't foresee the ways out of trouble, just the trouble itself.  
  
" The information is on a disk, hidden in a safe place. To get its localization you would have to catch us first. And the only way you can catch us is if we are dead. Kinda hard to get anything out of us then, huh?"  
  
Bond was silent. The last sentence stunned him again.  
  
Violett's voice got deadly calm and cold.  
  
"If you refuse the offer, Mr. Bond, Alec and I will fly away. You can shoot us down. You can send special troops to capture us. But you will NOT get us alive."  
  
She didn't recognize herself. The words she said came to her head suddenly and she noticed with surprise she meant them. And she knew Alec would think alike. Funny how desperate one can get.  
  
"The decision is yours, James. If you don't give a damn about Alec, think about your precious England and what this information would mean to her."  
  
She adjusted the gun in her hand and put her finger on the trigger. Bond's gun was uncocked as well and still pointed at her chest.  
  
"So, what's it gonna be?"  
  
* * * *  
  
This day was getting better and better. If it continued that way, he'd probably be in a space rocket on its way to the moon with a glass of martini in his hand, before the evening came. Speaking of martini - a thought occurred to him that maybe he just had had too much of the "shaken not stirred" liquid, all this was the effect of his drunk imagination and soon he would wake up in a hotel bed with a blonde by his side and a hangover of the century raging in his head.  
  
Unfortunately, things weren't this simple. Sometimes real life can be stranger than wildest fiction, but this. This just reminded a very bad joke. First, Alec Trevelyan saves his life. Right. Now he wants back to MI6.  
  
And Soviets backed capitalism.  
  
Of course, it could all make perfect sense - Trevelyan knew he was finished, when Bond disabled the satellite, so he came up with a plan - he saved his life to get a way back into MI 6 and carry out his revenge later. Yes, but then Alec would have to think his once best-friend had no brain at all. A child wouldn't fall for such trick. What in the world was he trying to accomplish? Did he get so desperate that he grasped even the craziest option of getting out of trouble? No, he wouldn't do that. At least the Alec he once had known wouldn't. He'd rather die than go begging for mercy. Surely, he didn't mean to return and serve the country he hated! What were his motives, then? It was beyond James.  
  
More important question was - what was HE going to do about it? Certainly, he couldn't accept their offer. Or could he? Outwardly he acted as if it was obvious he had no slightest intention of even considering it, but it wasn't that simple. Everything in him screamed "no", but there was also that silent, but persistent voice that whispered - 'why not?'  
  
' Hell, there's a thousand reasons why not' - he snapped in his thoughts at the little voice, but it didn't shut up. The words "used to be your friend" rang on and on in his mind. Damn, this girl knew which chord to strike! He repeated himself that he didn't give a damn about what he and Alec once used to be and that he could send him to hell any moment. He wouldn't be the first person close to him that betrayed him and died at his hand. Spy has to be prepared for such possibilities and can't let them interfere with his job. But, as he realized some time ago, hanging over that satellite, he was not only a spy, but also a human being.  
  
And Trevelyan had been the closest friend he ever had. Oh, yes, he was mad at Alec for betraying him and everything he thought they both believed in. Not only mad. Hurt. All those years, he cherished the memory of his friend, fought his enemies, imagining he was avenging 006. And all the while this bastard was alive and well, preparing a laser blow for his country. It made him so angry!  
  
Now he could take all that anger out, by pulling the trigger of his machine gun and emptying its magazine into the girl's chest and then into Trevelyan's chopper. But would it bring him relief? Would the pain disappear?  
  
Human feelings aside, he also had to think about the MI6. The information the Janus Syndicate had gathered would be like a gift from heavens. Of course if the girl was telling the truth. The girl. She was a riddle to him. Almost a kid, how old could she be? 24 at the most. Bold enough to stand before him and make an insane offer in the tone of a condescending princess when she was on the lost position and her life was at stake. Well, maybe that's what made her this bold. And there was something about her, in that defiant gaze of her blue-green eyes and the tone of her voice that made him think she was telling the truth. Both about the information and the will to join MI6.  
  
Damn, he was really considering this!  
  
He didn't trust Trevelyan further than he could throw him, but if anything happened, he was going to be on his own territory and surely wouldn't allow himself to be fooled again like nine years ago. He could end it all here and now, but suddenly he realized he didn't want to. It couldn't end like this. Besides, he wanted to spite those voices inside him that said he had lost all humanity and became an automaton in service of the agency. If he agreed, he'd be taking huge risk, but he was always a gambler, after all. He could win a lot in this game.  
  
Time to throw the dice.  
  
He lowered his gun.  
  
"All right. We have a deal." - he shot the girl his killer smile.  
  
She just stared at him wide -eyed..  
  
"You mean."  
  
"I accept your offer." - his smile grew wider. Ha, now HE made her speechless.  
  
"Great." - she attempted to keep her face expressionless, but failed miserably. She was simply too stunned.  
  
"I'll go tell my boss" - she turned back to the machine, in a little robot- like manner.  
  
"Wait." - he called after her, still smiling "I think we should shake hands on it. And maybe you could finally tell me your name, Miss Insanity?"  
  
She turned back to him and grasped his stretched out hand, but didn't return his smile.  
  
"Certainly. I'm Violett. Violett Cole."  
  
She let go of his hand and started on her way to the machine.  
  
'He agreed. He actually agreed.'  
  
It was impossible. She was hallucinating. Cuban sun must have got to her.  
  
No. 'He really did agree. Ok, I have to stop thinking like this', she said to herself , coming up to the chopper.  
  
Only now did she realize, how little she believed in the success of her little plan. She was sure she would die, ripped by dozens of bullets from Bond's machine gun. Hell, she was certain these were her last living moments. Well, life is full of surprises.  
  
And she may as well still die today. Alec had no idea what plan she had come up with. And when he found out, he was going to kill her. Unless she would be able to convince him.  
  
'Damn, I'm betting an awful lot on the horoscopes. '  
  
Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer to Gods of all the religions she could think of, she entered the helicopter.  
  
* * * *  
  
"ARE YOU COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" - rage and disbelief were fighting each other on Alec's face.  
  
"See, Alec, this is exactly why I asked you to promise you wouldn't blow up on me when I tell you about my plan" said Violett in a small voice, taking two tiny steps away from Alec, who loomed over her menacingly.  
  
"And could you please speak a little more quiet? I don't want Bond to think we are stepping out of the deal"  
  
"THERE IS NO GODDAMN DEAL." -Alec started, completely ignoring her request to keep his voice down, then stopped abruptly-  
  
"Wait. Are you telling me he agreed?" - he asked, a little quieter.  
  
"Yes. He actually did." -Violett said, a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
Alec's jaw dropped.  
  
"Oh" - that's all he could utter and just stared at her stunned for a few moments. Bond. Agreed. To take him back to MI6.  
  
He finally recovered himself:  
  
"Well, that doesn't matter, because I'm not going to do this! How could you go and arrange something like that without consulting me first?! You offered him the information I've been gathering for years in exchange for letting me give up everything I believe in? That's ridiculous! "  
  
"Alec, please, just think about it. What else can we do? They are not going to let us get away. And even if we somehow manage to escape, what then? The Syndicate is dead. We're finished. How long can you run? Do you really want to live like this?" - she put her hands on his arms, but he shook them off violently.  
  
"And what sort of life is THIS going to be? You expect me to just forget about everything, shake hands with Bond and go back to serve the country I hate?! What's next - Christmas in July?!"  
  
"James isn't the one that betrayed your parents. Besides, if you go back, you have a chance of discovering who DID betray them. You could get your revenge, on the right people. If you run, you'll lose that possibility forever." -she spoke with calmness, looking at him pleadingly.  
  
Suddenly Alec's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Since when do you call him by his first name? Oh, I see." -suddenly he grabbed her by the neck and pinned to the wall.  
  
"So, what did he offer you? Money? A place in MI6? Or have you already fallen for his charms?" -his fingers were digging deep into her throat and she could barely breathe.  
  
"Let .me.go " she gasped out and pushed Trevelyan away with all her force, then looked at him angrily.  
  
"If I had betrayed you, you would be dead by now. After all this time, I thought I deserve for your trust. Face the truth, Alec. You're finished. This is your only chance. I went there to help you. If this makes me a traitor, then.." - she put the gun he held in his hand to her chest  
  
" Go on. Just pull the trigger." - she stared straight into his eyes, holding her breath.  
  
Damn, she was right. He was finished. Where could he go now? What could he do? Start rebuilding his organization? From what, the ashes? When he escaped from MI6 nine years ago, he had connections and means to create the Syndicate.  
  
Now he had nothing.  
  
Except a whole bunch of enemies on his tail.  
  
Still, everything boiled in him at the thought that he would be serving the country that destroyed his life. Had he really fallen that low? Wouldn't death be better? Maybe he should just put a bullet in his head like his father.  
  
No. This would mean letting THEM win. This would mean breaking the vow he made on his parents' grave.  
  
'You would have a chance of discovering, who DID betray them'  
  
Yes. He would. He hadn't done that nine years ago because he was too blinded with hatred to all the English. Now he hated them too. But there was nothing like punishing the exact person that hurt you.  
  
Would they still be alive? Well, he would never know if he didn't check. Even if they were old and in their death beds, he would make them pay. The last thing they hear will be the names of Constantin and Maria Trevelyan and the last thing they see will be his face. There was no other way he could accomplish that, than going back to MI6.  
  
He didn't have to destroy the world to carry out his revenge.  
  
And Bond agreed to take him back, as insane as that sounded.  
  
It wasn't over yet.  
  
He lowered the gun.  
  
"Now, don't get so dramatic, Violett" he chuckled. "Let's try this plan of yours."  
  
The girl let out a deep breath and thanked a whole Pantheon of gods in her thoughts. Boy, this guy could change moods in a second.  
  
"Finally. I'm beginning to get tired of willingly putting myself before loaded guns" she sighed.  
  
"What, you pulled this trick on 007 as well?"- Alec grinned.  
  
"Something like that"- she said pulling her hair from her face.  
  
Trevelyan chuckled some more, tucking the gun behind the belt of his pants. He apparently had no intention of apologizing for calling her a traitor. Well, what else could she expect of him?  
  
They heard footsteps approaching the chopper. A moment later Bond's head poked through the door. Natalya was right behind him, scowling at them, clearly not happy about the course of things. The machine gun was hanging idly on James' shoulder, assuring everybody the deal he made with Violett was still standing.  
  
"I hope we are not interrupting anything?" he said, looking quizzically at them both "We just got a little bored with standing in the blazing Cuban sun. Or maybe you are having second thoughts about our arrangement?"  
  
"No, of course not." Violett hurried with an answer, but Bond was looking at Alec.  
  
Trevelyan stared back at him without saying a word and suddenly the atmosphere in the machine got terribly tense. Violett almost panicked, thinking that maybe Alec changed his mind.  
  
"The deal is still valid" -Trevelyan finally answered, voice icily cold.  
  
Violett almost gasped with relief. Right, she forgot one thing when she decided to execute her plan - that there would be two giant, hurt manly egos clashing every second and she'd be the one responsible for keeping them at bay.  
  
'What the hell a have I gotten myself into?'  
  
"Good"- Bond replied- "I only wonder why you had to get your work done by a woman, Alec"-he added, voice dripping with irony.  
  
Violett's heart sank and she gulped loudly.  
  
"She volunteered." Alec answered casually and Violett almost threw her arms around him and kissed him for it.  
  
"Besides, knowing your love of the fair sex, I don't think you minded that. You're probably already bored with your strawberry friend."- his irony perfectly mirrored Bond's.  
  
Natalya looked as if she was going to throw herself on Alec and scratch him . Violett was considering the option of kicking him hard in a painful place and Bond.. Bond just put his poker face on.  
  
As to Alec, he had already disappeared in the cockpit, apparently very pleased with himself.  
  
'Shit', Violett thought,' if their every conversation will look like that, I'm going to start growing ulcers in no time'  
  
A few moments later they heard the roar of engines and a group of helicopters landed on the field. Alec came back from the cockpit and Bond looked outside.  
  
"It's my backup" - he said, seeing Jack Wade getting out of one of the machines. The man run up to Trevelyan's chopper.  
  
"James! Good to see you ! Is everything all right?"  
  
"Perfect" Bond said, casting a sideways glance at Alec.  
  
"Then let's get the hell out of here. Castro's troops are on their way and I'm not in the battle mood. Oh, one more thing." He passed Bond a satellite phone.  
  
"It's your boss. "  
  
James put the phone to his ear with an 'Exactly what I needed right now' expression.  
  
"Hello, M"  
  
Violett and Alec exchanged a look.  
  
"Mission accomplished. The satellite is destroyed."  
  
"Well done, James. What about that other thing you were supposed to take care of?"  
  
M's words were heard clearly by all people present in the helicopter.  
  
007 glanced up at Trevelyan. Both men just looked in each other's eyes for a few moments. Violett instinctively touched the gun at her belt, knowing they would have no chance anyway. Alec's face was unnervingly calm, as if he was watching a boring movie, not looking at a man who was about to decide his fate.  
  
"It's been settled. The head of the Janus Syndicate is dead. It was Ourumov..."  
  
".And I am bringing back an old friend. I'll make a full report when we get home." - he switched the phone off.  
  
Dead silence reined.  
  
"Well? What are you waiting for? "- said Wade impatiently,  
  
"Get your butts out of here. I got my own plane to catch" He took the phone from Bond's hand and slammed the helicopter door shut.  
  
Alec took Violett to the cockpit and Natalya sat next to Bond.  
  
"I hope you know what you are doing, James" she said grimly in her Russian accent.  
  
"Yes. Me too" Bond answered and stared out of the window.  
  
The machine started off and soon they were flying over the sea. This time Alec was piloting and Violett looked at the water below them.  
  
Trevelyan noticed she was smiling to herself.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" - he asked  
  
"Oh, nothing." she said, looking up at him and smiling even more "Just that I love my zodiac sign" ,and returned to the view outside the window.  
  
Alec blinked at her with surprise, then shrugged and concentrated on the instruments.  
  
They flew for a time in silence.  
  
"Violett, tell me something." Trevelyan started  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
He hesitated. The question's been bothering him, but somehow he found it hard to ask it.  
  
"Why did you do that? I mean, you could just turn me in and get a nice job at some computer company."  
  
She looked at him, apparently surprised by the question:  
  
"Well.."  
  
  
  
'I would die for you  
  
I would die for you  
  
I've been dying just to feel you by my side, to know that you're mine I would cry for you  
  
I would cry for you  
  
I will wash away your pain with all my tears and drown your fear I will pray for you  
  
I will pray for you,  
  
I will sell my soul for something pure and true, someone like you See your face every place that I walk in  
  
Hear your voice every time that I'm talking  
  
You will believe in me, and I will never be ignored I will burn for you  
  
Feel pain for you  
  
I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart, and tear it apart I will lie for you  
  
Beg and steal for you  
  
I will crawl on hands and knees until you see, you're just like me Violate all the love that I'm missing  
  
Throw away all the pain that I'm living  
  
You will believe in me, and I can never be ignored I would die for you  
  
I would kill for you  
  
I will steal for you  
  
I'd do time for you  
  
I will wait for you  
  
I'd make room for you  
  
I'd sink ships for you,  
  
Take the cross for you  
  
Make me a part of you  
  
Because I believe in you  
  
I believe in you  
  
I would die for you'  
  
".I just always wanted to know what' it's like to be a secret agent" -she smiled, but it was more like a grimace.  
  
Alec chuckled. She turned back to stare through the window.  
  
Men are blind. Fact.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Author's note: I hope I'll not get flamed for what I did in this chapter. I know Alec's returning to MI6 is hard to swallow, but just wait for the fun it's going to bring! I tried to make the reasons why both Bond and Trevelyan agree for it as convincing and believable as possible, that is why, among other things, it took me so long to write this chapter. Did I fail or did I succeed? Please tell me in your reviews!( One more thing - the fact that Violett's name sounds English although she is Polish will be explained in one of the next chapters, so if anyone wanted to flame me on that, check mate. ( Oh, one more thing - a tiny disclaimer -the song I used in this chapter, "#1 Crush" belongs to Garbage and I don't claim any rights to it, except that I'm maniacally playing it every day. Stay tuned for more to come! 


End file.
